Saturday, November 26, 2016

I invited people from my church (Redeemer, in Monroe, Michigan) to share testimonies of thanksgiving. Here are some that were submitted to me.***1) I am thankful for shelter,
though I don’t own it.

2) I am thankful for income,
though it’s not the job I prefer.

3) I am thankful for family,
though we are not biologically related.

4) I am thankful for
transportation, though it is in less-than-perfect condition.

Instead of complaining
about things I will focus on what I have been given!

Blessings,

Jeffrey Beauman

***

This year, I am especially thankful for
how faithful God is in answering prayer, especially when seeking His counsel
for direction in major life decisions. He provided for us and protected
us from adversity in many ways this year, like in selling our home (when it
wasn’t even on the market), buying our long-desired Lake Michigan home,—even
providing a local condo to meet needs we didn’t even know we had! I
learned that our job is to ask, then WAIT…He does give very clear guidance in
His time and in His way. His hand of protection over our family as He
guided us this year has truly been remarkable, and has encouraged us to
continue to trust in God in all things!

Denise Hunter

***

I am so grateful for who our
God is and HIS great love and mercy toward me. I am so grateful that HE is so
trustworthy, so creative, so powerful and perfect. I am so grateful for HIS
WORD and HIS SPIRIT who teaches us. I am grateful for life and the life HE has
given me. I am grateful for my marriage and my delightful family. I am awed by
the way HE uses all things for my good. I am so thankful for each person that
HE has brought into my life. Each one is a gift from God to me. I thankful to
be among HIS people and in a country that allows me to freely worship HIM. I am
overwhelmed with HIS provisions for me. My cup runneth over. Too much for
my feeble thanks.

Sallie Collins

***

I am thankful that I can
speak to God(!!!) about yummy pie and puffy white clouds, and it's important to
Him. Yet, I can also speak to Him about my deepest fears and darkest secrets, and
He won't freak out.

Naomi Vaive

***

Redeemer Church,My family and I are so thankful for all your
prayers for Gage. He was very sick and ended up having brain surgery last
Thursday. He is recovery very well, and gets stronger each day with therapy. He
will continue with outpatient therapy, hoping for a full recovery after a two
week stay in Motts Children’s Hospital. Today he walked out of the hospital on
his own two legs, something he couldn't do a week ago. We had so many prayers
and an amazing group of supporters from everywhere, even strangers from around the world. We have been praising God
everyday, giving him all the glory for the miracle he gave us in Gage. We are
filled with such gratitude and joy, God Bless you all.Thank you, and
Happy Thanksgiving!

Joanne Bagley

***

I'm thankful that His glory
will ALWAYS be found in even the darkest of circumstances in my life, even in
loss. When we allow Him permission to work, he can beautifully mold our hearts
to show us His glory and His love. When we lost our child in the womb, and
consequently all future children, I never questioned His goodness. My only
response after grieving was "Okay, God, show me YOUR glory, how are YOU
glorified through this pain." His response was to work in my heart and
give me a deep love for the kids and teenagers around me, and give me a desire
to disciple them, and the grace to love them like they are my own children,
even though I'm not much older than many of them. He has filled my life with
children despite my circumstances telling me I would birth no more! That is a
glorious work born from a place of deep pain. And the glory is His!

Nicole Griffin

***

I am thankful that God
spared my life after a very dire medical situation, not only keeping me alive
physically, but also using this seemingly bad situation to provide a more
vibrant, thankful, peace filled, and hopeful life. I am thankful that He
allowed me to see how many people I have in my life who truly love me and care
about my well-being. I'm thankful that He taught me in a very tangible
way that He provides for our every need, even when we can't see how it will be
possible. I am thankful that depression, fear and anxiety no longer
define my life, that I am not alone and don't have to figure everything out on
my own. I am thankful for my career and the opportunity to love on my
students and their parents with His love.

This is just the tip of the iceberg! There is SO
much to be thankful for!

Jaymi Yettaw***

The past three years have been a major battle - an attack from the enemy, but through the battle the Lord did something I didn't think was possible, The Lord saved my marriage; and we celebrated 35 years of marriage in September. I am thankful that I serve a God of the possible - Luke 18:27, where Jesus replied, "What is impossible with man is possible with God."

I am thankful for a loving heavenly Father who is patient, for showing me that I am his beloved daughter, and in HIS timing, with love, He is taking me out of my comfort zone and placing me where HE wants me to be.

Thursday, November 24, 2016

In Philippians 4 Paul tells Jesus-followers to “not be anxious about anything.” (v. 6) The biblical Greek word for ‘anxious’ is often used in contexts where persecution is happening. For example, in Matthew 10:19, where Jesus counsels his disciples, “When they arrest you, do not be anxious about what to say or how to say it.”

When Paul counsels the Philippians to not be anxious it’s not like he’s sitting down to a sumptuous Thanksgiving dinner. He’s in prison! The context is: persecution. The Philippian Jesus-followers were suffering under opposition from their pagan neighbors, just like Paul and Silas had suffered when among them (Acts 16:19-24; Phil 1:28-30).

I know what worry and anxiety are like. I have, in some especially troubling times, felt consumed by them. So I ask - how realistic is it to be told “Be anxious about nothing?” Paul’s answer, and his experiential reality, is found in his rich, ongoing prayer life. He writes: 6 Do not be anxious about anything,but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

I have proof that this works, (following Henri Nouwen, in his bookGracias!): When I don’t pray I am more easily filled with worry, and fear. In the act of praying I enter into the caregiving of the Great Physician, who dials down the anxiety.

In everyday prayer-conferencing with God I present my requests to him. I lay my burdens before him (See 1 Peter 5:7). I have a Father God who loves me, in whom I trust. Where there is trust, there is neither worry nor anxiety. A person with a praying life grows in trust and diminishes in anxiety. A praying person discovers, experientially, that trust and anxiety are inversely proportionate.

Paul writes that our prayers should be accompanied “with thanksgiving.” Ben Witherington writes: “Paul believes there is much to be said for praying in the right spirit or frame of mind.” This is significant for the Roman Philippians, since pagan prayers did not include thanksgiving. Roman prayers were often fearful, bargaining prayers, not based on a relationship with some loving god.

Witherington adds: “Prayer with the attitude of thanksgiving is a stress-buster.”

John Wesley said that thanksgiving is the surest evidence of a soul free from anxiety.

I am praying to love as God loves. I would not be praying like this if I already loved as God loves.I am familiar with the Scriptures. I read the many stories of the love of God. I may be a fool, but at least I can see the great abyss between whatever love I have and the love of God.God's love is not like ours.This is, from one perspective, good. If God's love was like ours, then God would be reduced to the lowest common denomination of love. God's love would be a single penny. God's love would have little to give. If God's love was like ours, then God would be escorted off the throne where he reigns over the cosmos, and take a seat in the recliner, ruling over the remote control.It is good that God's love is not like ours. It is not good that our love is not like God's.God's love is unpossessive. God's love is pure because it needs nothing. (See Thomas Merton, A Book of Hours, 118)You can only love when you do not need. Because need grasps, so that it may possess. Love holds things and people lightly, and holds onto God tightly.True love holds, without owning. God's love does not control or demand our reciprocity. God's love waits. Only the unpossessive can wait. Only those who wait are free to love. True love waits for a response.I am praying for a love like this to find its home in my heart.

Scripture repeatedly instructs us to cultivate a heart of gratitude to God for who he is and what he has done. In 2 Chronicles 5:13 we read this typical story.The trumpeters and musicians joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, the singers raised their voices in praise to the Lord and sang: “He is good; his love endures forever.” Then the temple of the Lord was filled with the cloud.What are you thankful to God for? Write it up and send it to me at: johnpiippo@msn.com.It is good to give thanks to the Lord! If you have a testimony of thankfulness you would like to share with me I will post it on my blog on Saturday.***Names of other people should be used with their permission, as applicable.No longer than a paragraph - 150 words or less please.I will use your full name.I will edit your submission, as needed. :)

Monday, November 21, 2016

Gratitude is greater than bitterness. Thankfulness
is better than resentment.

Colossians 3:15 says:

Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with
each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own
thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the
run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one
another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let
every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the
Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.

A heart of
thankfulness positively affects one’s entire being. Many scientific studies confirm this.
Here are some of them.

“Gratitude helps people feel more
positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with
adversity, and build strong relationships.”

Dr. Martin Seligman (University of
Pennsylvania) says most studies on showing gratitude to others support an
association between gratitude and an individual’s well-being.

Gratitude can improve relationships. “For
example, a study of couples found that individuals who took time to express
gratitude for their partner not only felt more positive toward the other person
but also felt more comfortable expressing concerns about
their relationship.”

Gratitude is associated with emotional
maturity.

“Gratitude is a way for people to appreciate
what they have instead of always reaching for something new in the hopes it
will make them happier, or thinking they can’t feel satisfied until every
physical and material need is met. Gratitude helps people refocus on what they
have instead of what they lack. And, although it may feel contrived at first,
this mental state grows stronger with use and practice.”

Here are some ways to
cultivate gratitude on a regular basis.

·Write a thank-you
note.

·Thank someone
mentally. (“It may help just to think about someone who has done
something nice for you, and mentally thank the individual.”)

·Keep a gratitude
journal.
I make lists of things I am thankful for and carry them with me.

·Count your blessings.

·Pray. “People who are
religious can use prayer to cultivate gratitude.”

·Gratitude improves physical health. “Grateful people experience fewer
aches and pains and they report feeling healthier than other people,
according to a 2012 study published inPersonality and Individual
Differences.”

·Gratitude improves psychological health. “Gratitude reduces a multitude of toxic emotions, ranging
from envy and resentment to frustration and regret. Robert A. Emmons, Ph.D., a
leading gratitude researcher, has conducted multiple studies on the link
between gratitude and well-being. His research confirms that gratitude
effectively increases happiness and reduces depression.”

·Gratitude enhances empathy and reduces aggression. “Grateful people are more likely
to behave in a prosocial manner, even when others behave less kind, according
to a 2012 study by theUniversity of Kentucky.
Study participants who ranked higher on gratitude scales were less likely to
retaliate against others, even when given negative feedback. They experienced
more sensitivity and empathy toward other people and a decreased desire to seek
revenge.”

·Grateful people sleep better. “Writing in a gratitude journal improves sleep,
according to a 2011 study published in Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being. Spend just 15 minutes jotting down a few grateful sentiments before bed, and you may sleep better and longer."

·Gratitude improves self-esteem.(Acc. to a 2014 study published in the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology.)

·Gratitude increases mental strength. (Acc. to a 2006 study in Behavior Research and Therapy, and a 2003 study in the Journal of Personality and social Psychology.

Psychologists Robert Emmons
and Michael McCullough “point out the benefits of
expressing gratitude as ranging from better physicalhealthto improved mental
alertness. People who express gratitude also are more likely to offer emotional
support to others.”

·“Expressing gratitude in your
daily life might even have a protective effect on staving off certain forms of
psychological disorders. In a review article published this past March (see
below), researchers found that habitually focusing on and appreciating the
positive aspects of life is related to a generally higher level of
psychological well-being and a lower risk of certain forms of psychopathology.”

·Increase your gratitude-ability
by looking for small things to be thankful for.

·It’s easy to take gratitude for granted. “That might be why so
many people have dismissed gratitude as simple, obvious, and unworthy of
serious attention. But that’s starting to change. Recently scientists have
begun to chart a course of research aimed at understanding gratitude and the
circumstances in which it flourishes or diminishes.”

·Recent
studies on people who practice thankfulness consistently report a number of benefits:

Gratitude is good for your heart. “According to arecent
study at the University of California, San Diego, being mindful of
the things you're thankful for each day actually lowers inflammation in the
heart and improves rhythm. Researchers looked at a group of adults with
existing heart issues and had some keep a gratitude journal. After just two
months, they found that the grateful group actually showed improved heart
health.”

·It’s good for your relationships. “Expressing gratitude instead of frustration
will do more than just smooth things over—it will actually help your emotional
health. Expressing and attitude of gratitude raises levels of empathy and
abolishes any desire to get even, foundresearchers at the University of Kentucky.”

Sunday, November 20, 2016

When giving thanks to God descends from your mind into your heart it has become instinctual. Throughout the day you find yourself saying, "Thank you, God." It happened this morning. I found myself taking a deep breath, and then - instinctively - saying "Thank you, God, for life." I don't take this for granted. Many of my journal entries over the years record "Thank you, God" moments.Psalm 9:1-2 reads:I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.2 I will be glad and rejoice in you;I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.Here David the psalmist is oppressed by enemy forces, but God shows up to defeat them. This causes David to give thanks, with all his heart. His thanksgiving goes public as David openly testifies to God's "wonderful deeds." All this happens in an atmosphere of gladness and praise.I make lists of God's wonderful acts and deeds, done to me and Linda. I have written them down in an email, and sent the email to myself. It's not that I'm so e-barren that I need more emails. It's just that I don't want to forget the many things God has done for me, for which I am deeply grateful. I have an ever-looping email I call THANKFULNESS. I keep adding to the list of things I am thankful for, only to reply to myself with these things again and again.When I re-read my thanks-list it gives birth to more thanksgiving "with all my heart."As you pray, enumerate things you are thankful for.Then, thank God for them.*****DATE _______________________God, I thank you for...1. ___________________________________________________________2. ___________________________________________________________3. ___________________________________________________________4. ___________________________________________________________5. ___________________________________________________________6. ___________________________________________________________7. ___________________________________________________________8. ___________________________________________________________9. ___________________________________________________________10. __________________________________________________________

Saturday, November 19, 2016

At Redeemer we preach, on Sunday mornings, verse-by-verse through the biblical books. This takes time. It is a brick-by-brick strategy that God has given us, viz.: 1) develop a biblically literate community; and 2) raise the level of Jesus-literacy.We preached through the four Gospels chronologically, which took seven years. In 2015 we preached through the book of Revelation for a year. Then James. Before that Paul's letters, Hebrews, etc. Now we are in 1 Peter.I like doing this, because I don't have to look ahead to wonder what sermon series I'm going to do next, and every topic one would ever want to discuss comes up as we preach through the Scriptures.One more thing: when you preach through the Scriptures you attend to them, not to what consumer Christians in the Audience Church want to hear. As C.S. Lewis wrote:"A man who first tried to guess 'what the public wants', and then preached that as Christianity because the public wants it, would be a pretty mixture of a fool and a knave." (Lewis, Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer, p. 120)

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

The pursuit of happiness will leave you perpetually unsatiated. That is its goal.In America this is especially true, since we have a consumer-driven economy. For our country to stay afloat, people must continually purchase. Spending must increase. As we approach Christmas, sales must be up (which, of course, has nothing to do with the real Christmas).Products are marketed in terms of the amount of happiness they will produce. (See, e.g., The Happiness Industry: How the Government and Big Business Sold Us Well-Being.) The irony is that these products must ultimately produce discontent, so that we want more, or something different, something newer. The economic cycle is never-ending: happy, discontent; happy, discontent; and so on ad infinitum. Wealthy is the nation whose people are unhappy.Thomas Merton, writing prior to 1966, said:"If we are fools enough to remain at the mercy of the people who want to sell us happiness, it will be impossible for us ever to be content with anything. How would they profit if we became content? We would no longer need their new product. The last thing the salesman wants is for the buyer to become content. You are of no use in our affluent society unless you are always just about the grasp what you never have." (Merton, Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander; in Through the Year With Thomas Merton, 198)The teachings of Jesus and the apostle Paul are bad news for our economy. If the poor became blessed, and Jesus' followers acquired contentment in all circumstances, and knowing Christ became life's greatest thing, then today's money-changers would have their laptops overturned. The economic wheel would grind to a halt, and read: blessed, content.